Fallout ~ The Hunt
Prologue Blood fell out of my mouth as my vision blurred and I hit the ground hard. Unable to move my hands that are tightened against the chair I am sitting in, I hit the ground face first. While feeling soaring pain rush through my face, I also felt a pair of hands grab me and pull me back up. I spat out the blood that has formed in my mouth and looked up. The bright light shining into my face illuminated the figure standing affront of me in a shadowy presence. The bright light didn't allow much perception so I couldn't make out exactly where I was, not that I even remember how I got here. "You got guts, I'll give you that," said the shadowy figure, "But that won't postpone your death" he said as I saw him lunge forward and felt a great pain strike my left cheek. Again, I fell hard to the ground, again I felt soaring pain running through my face, and again I spat out blood as I got picked up. "Where is the Platinum Chip?!" asked the figure as he kneeled closer to me. This time I could make out a checkered suit and combed back black hair but his face still lingered in the shadows. In response I spat what blood formed in my mouth into the man's face. He wiped it off and punched me again. I got picked up again only to fall to the ground once more with searing pain. "You're getting on my nerves" said the man as he kneeled down to me as I still lie on the ground. "Where is the fucking chip?!" he yelled. I looked up and said, with what strength I had left in me, "Go to hell Benny". I saw him lunge forward again and felt his fist hitting my face multiple times, each strike sending waves of pain soaring through my face and my vision blur even more. Again I fell to the ground coughing out blood. I noticed a small puddle of blood has formed around my fallen chair. "Pick him up" growled Benny as he rubbed his soar hands. I felt the hands pick me up again. "I've had enough of your arrogance John" he said as I saw the guy behind me hand Benny a large knife. The blade glistened under the bright light Benny is standing affront of. "Where is the Platinum Chip?" he asked as he gently placed the tip of the blade on my knee and slowly applied pressure. I groaned as I tried to ignore the pain as best as possible. Suddenly I hear a metal door open in a squeaky clank and see a person stepping in. My blurry vision and the terrible pain didn't allow me to see what the guy looked like. "Benny, Commander Jabsco wants to see you" he said, ignoring my presence. "Can't you see I'm busy?" responded Benny. "I don't care. He wants to see you now!" Benny snarled as the man left the room and handed the man behind me his knife back. He then leaned close to me and said "Don't think that we're finished here. But I will get what I want. Bring him to his cell and get the truth syrome ready. We'll continue with the questioning there" before opening the door with a metallic squeak and leaving the room. The person behind me snarled as I felt the rope around my hands loosen. Blood rushed back into my hands while rubbed my soar arms. Breathing hurt like hell and I groaned as the man forced me off the chair. "Quiet" the growled the man as he grabbed my arms. I felt the rope around my hands again. We suddenly hear a loud explosion before he could tighten the rope. I took that chance and with my remaining energy elbowed the man in the neck and tackle him to the ground. Great pain rushed through my body as I got up and kicked him in the face and chest. By the third kick he payed there motionlessly. I toss away the rope and stumble out of the room. I slam against the wall, my body weak and in great pain. The hallway blurs affront of me as I slowly leave the room I was in behind me. The metal wall felt cold to the touch as I hear gunfire and shouting echoe through the hall. Then I hear a door open and a blurry man in black wielding some sort of rifle stepped into the hallway. Ignoring the pain I ran towards him and just as he saw me I tackled him to the ground. In the few seconds I had I felt the handle of a blade, pulled out a small machete and thruster the blade into the man's chest. He cried out and gurgled as his lungs and mouth filled with blood. His body twitched as I twisted the blade. Then his body became limp and he quieted down. I was thankful his face was hidden under a tinted gas mask. While searching the small packs around his combat armor, I hear another metal door open and a set of foot prints stepping out. I quickly grabbed the dead man's rifle as I saw three more men in black stepping into the hallway and spotting me. Before they could even aim their rifles I pulled the trigger. The loud gunfire felt like needles being jammed into my ears and the recoil tore at my shoulder but I didn't stop until the magazine was empty and the three figures fell to the ground with a loud thud. I dropped the rifle and began searching the packs of the three dead men until I finally found what I was looking for. I removed the safety and jammed the syringe labeled 'Med-X' into my chest. I pushed the red liquid into my body and felt a jolt of energy rush through my body as the aching stopped and my vision went back to normal. I still felt the pain though but it was tolerable. I grabbed one of the dead men's AK, his Browning HP sidearm, and two spare clips for each gun and placed them in my jean pocket. I still hear gunshots going on and I believe I can hear the cry a supermutant makes when they attack. I shrugged it off and slowly made my way to the end of the hall. The strong pain slowly began to come back as I made my way through the hallway. 'I need to get out of here' I thought to myself. 'First though I need to find out where I am'. Now I hear a loud alarm going off, piercing my ears. Breathing became a problem again as I entered a large room filled with bunk beds and lockers. I snatched a backpack lying on one of the beds and began filling it with canned food and bottled water from rows of metal shelves after I passed a mess hall and entered the kitchen. I stopped stuffing my pack as I hear a metal door open followed by several footsteps. The footsteps got louder as I carefully crawled behind the row of pre-war ovens. "Johnson, you search the sleeping quarters. McCarthy, you check the bathrooms. I'll check the kitchen. Benny wants him alive and in one piece" said a muffled male voice before the footsteps dispersed. I carefully leaned my rifle against the stove I am kneeling against and pulled out my pistol from my right pocket. I keep my breathing to a shallow wisp as I hear his footsteps get closer. "He's been here" said the man to himself as I noticed he is looking at the raided shelves. As he was right next to me I immediately tackle him to the ground. He hit the ground hard and held my hand back as I pushed the pistol against his forehead. He pushed my hand aside as I fired a round, missing his forehead. The gunshot pierced my ears leaving behind a terrible ringing noise. Then I felt a jab in my chest and cried out as he knocked me off him, dropping my pistol in the process. Then I felt searing pain in the face as he pinned me to the ground and began punching me. Each strike made me see stars and sent a jolt of pain across my face. A rush of adrenaline filled my body as I suddenly grabbed his fist with my left hand, quickly reached out to the shelf next to me, and smashed a can into the man's gas mask. He stumbled back and felt his cracked tinted visor. I used this newly acquired energy and charged at him. I knock him to the ground and began smashing the dented can into his visor until he grabs my right arm and strikes me with his left, knocking me to the ground. Through my blurry vision I noticed my pistol lying next to me. I tried to grab it but instead cried out as he stepped on my hand. As I looked up I see the heel of his boot before it hit my face, knocking me to the side. As I lay on my back, my vision blurry and fading, I see him standing above me. In his left hand I see a small machete. "You're lucky Benny wants you alive, so I am not gonna kill you. I'm just gonna finish what Benny started" he says as he raises his blade, the tip pointed at me. I raise my hand while gasping for air. Suddenly I hear two gunshots followed by two loud thuds. The man turned to the direction of the gunshots only to slam his head back and collapse next to me as a third gunshot went off. Despite my blurry vision, I notice blood seeping from a hole in his cracked visor. I look towards the doorway and see another figure stepping into the kitchen. "Oh my god John" I hear a female voice say as the figure kneeled beside me and softly grabbed my hand. A beautiful woman with blue eyes, fiery red hair, and freckled cheeks came into view. She wore green combat armor with a white four leaf clover with two crossed swords painted on it. I noticed 'Reilly's Rangers' is written on the right side with white paint. "Reilly?" I mutter before everything faded to black.